Rogaine Side Effects: Is Minoxidil Worth the Risk?

Learn the facts about Rogaine side effects for men and women.

Then decide whether or not using this drug is the best way to treat your hair loss.

Rogaine (or Regaine in the UK) is the brand name for minoxidil, a drug
that's been approved by the FDA for treating androgenetic hair loss
(androgenetic alopecia). Its FDA approval was given after trials showed
that it was capable of producing new hair growth.

But, although minoxidil has been scientifically proven to have some
positive effect on hair loss, it’s also been scientifically proven to
have side effects!

Here are the potential side effects of Rogaine that can affect both men and women – I’ve listed them in what I expect most people would consider to be an
increasing order of severity:

*
Whilst such an increase in hair growth might initially sound more like a
benefit, you wouldn’t be too impressed if the tiny vellus hairs on your
nose or forehead started to sprout out thicker, longer and darker!

And, for women especially, terminal hair growth on your face or body would be extremely undesirable.

*
Whilst such an increase in hair growth might initially sound more like a
benefit, you wouldn’t be too impressed if the tiny vellus hairs on your
nose or forehead started to sprout out thicker, longer and darker!

And, for women especially, terminal hair growth on your face or body would be extremely undesirable.

Moderate Rogaine Side Effects:

A burning sensation in your scalp.

A rash or reddened appearance to your skin may start to form.

Breast tenderness.

Decrease in libido.

Light-headedness
(all antihypertensive drugs like minoxidil can cause this through a
sudden drop in blood pressure).

Swelling
- An increase in water retention can cause your face, hands, feet or
lower legs to swell up.

An increase in hair loss.

And if you think that’s a lot, there are even more side effects listed further down the page.

But first of all…

Given
that this website is all about natural remedies for hair loss, you
won’t be surprised to learn that I don’t recommend this drug.

Here’s the full set of reasons why I think this, and why I believe it's much better to use a natural remedy instead:

1.
You’ve just read about the possible mild to moderate side effects that
will affect some people (about 4%). So, do you really want to run the
risk that you’ll be one of the unlucky ones who suffers a bad reaction?

2.
As you've just discovered, Rogaine can make your hair loss worse. Initially at the very least. It sounds bizarre, and it is. Minoxidil is
used for treating hair loss, but can shift more hair follicles into the
resting phase of the hair growth cycle. So you might start shedding
even more hair.

3. The duration that all this extra shedding lasts
for can obviously vary from person to person – so you might have to
endure weeks of extra hair loss.

4. Whilst the manufacturers will
refund any unopened Rogaine product you return to them (minus all your
postage costs), there’s no guarantee from them that all this extra hair
loss will be replaced with new hair growth.

5. It often takes
months of treatment before you know whether Rogaine works for you, or if
it’s been a complete waste of your time, effort and money.

6. If it does work,
you'll have to keep using it for life, during which time, any mild or moderate side effects you experience could accumulate and develop into something more serious.

Speaking of which, here are the remaining, and most serious, side effects of Rogaine:

Serious Rogaine Side Effects:

Rapid weight gain.

An upset stomach or vomiting.

Headaches.

Blurred vision.

Fainting.

Rapid heartbeat or heart palpitations.

Chest pain (angina).

Breathing problems.

Some
of the side effects you could suffer from depend on how quickly the drug
gets absorbed by your body.

For example, you might overdose from the
recommended daily amount. Or you could discover that you have an
allergy to minoxidil or one of the other ingredients (which include
alcohol and propylene glycol).

Some side effects of Rogaine are more common than others of course. A dry, flaky,
itchy scalp being the most likely, and an allergic reaction (which can
create some of the more serious side effects) the least.

Obviously it goes without saying that you would need to contact your doctor urgently if you experience any serious symptoms.